Shake it up
by Kjelfalconer
Summary: An alternative universe, where Lance is recruited to the X-men alongside Kitty. However, every action has a reaction, and something, or someone, has to give. -DISCONTINUED due to loss of files-
1. 1:Rocky Beginnings

_Howdy do! Kjel here, inspired by Sandoz to make a Lancitty fic. Just so you know, anything in Italics with single quotation marks are Lance's thoughts. Italics with speech marks are telepathic speech. Just to make things easier. Oh, yes._

_**DISCLAIMER: **However much I'd like to, I do **NOT **own any of these characters. They belong to marvel, and for this we shall always love them. Amen._

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**Chapter 1- Rocky Beginnings **

Lance... wasn't in the best of moods, leaving chemistry. The one subject he was any good at, and he gets an F! Still, there was always the plan to get into the principal's office later, if Pete and Griff hadn't chickened out. Not that he liked it, but he really needed the cash, and it wasn't like he could count on his foster parents for much. Other than the bare essentials, anything he needed, he had to find himself.

_'Of course, that didn't mean I can't have some fun along the way',_ he thought, idly spraying the lockers red. He was late, but it was only PE, so who cared?

_'Weird,' _he thought, _'Could've sworn I heard something.' _That 'something' then proceeded to fall out of, or rather through, her locker, slamming right into him.

"Hey, did you see what you just did?" he asked, completely oblivious to the ridiculous red streak on his face from the spray.

"What, I- I just, like, fell out-"

"Yeah man, right through the door! That is so cool!"

"You're crazy." She said, turning away.

"No, no, wait a minute, I'm the one guy around here who gets the beauty of it, cause you're just like me, really!" She gave him a look which clearly said she didn't believe a word of it.

"All right then, watch this-" His eyes rolled up, and the ground began to shake, lockers flying open around them.

"Gettin' the picture?" he asked.

"No, you're just, like, some freak, leave me alone!" This time she did leave, but Lance just couldn't help himself.

"You can run, but you can't hide, cause I'm gonna rock your world." He turned away, since he did have somewhere to be himself. _'Even if it isn't class. And did I really just say that pun out loud?' _

Pete and Griff were already on the office roof when he arrived.

"Well? Can we get in here or not?" Pete asked, elbowing Griff in the ribs.

"Not, it's wired into the alarm system."he replied tartly, not pleased with said elbow.

"Now what Alvers? We've got no way into this stinkin' office, and mid-terms start in the morning."

_'God, why can't they think for themselves?' _Problem was, he knew the answer. _'They're afraid of me, and they're in it for the gain. Great friends you've got there, Lance. Is that really what you want?"_

"Yeah, and exam answers aren't exactly going to fetch a prime price after the test. Can't you just, y'know, make a door?"

"Sure, and have them know we were in? They'll change the tests!" he yelled, pushing Griff's arm away. _'Idiots.' _

"I got a sweeter idea. Her." He pointed at the girl from before.

"What? Are ya gonna have her long jump through the wall? Come on, get serious!"

"You ridin' me Griff?" _'Sure, _now_, they want to think for themselves.' _"Huh, are ya?" In his anger, his control over his powers slipped, and the ground started to shake.

"Sorry man, I was just-"

"Whoa, whoa, it's cool Lance." Pete pushed himself between them, but Lance shoved him away.

"You two losers just line up the customers, I'll snatch the answers." A grin spread on his face, but he didn't feel like it. _'After all, you're about to exploit a confused, innocent girl.' _

He watched her stumble and fall as she attempted to long jump. _'Good job that isn't the plan then.'_

She hit the ground, frustrated, and he could see the she-jock lining up, just to show up the girl. Something about that just didn't sit right with him. As she took the run, he called up his powers again, catching her with a torrent of sand mid-jump. He waved at the other girl, before she bolted, straight into a red-headed girl, then towards the auditorium. _'Who the hell's she? I've never seen her before. But then, you're not exactly with the _in_-crowd, are you?' _There was something odd about the look she gave the brunette, but he couldn't quite place it. Something was up though, so he followed them at a distance.

Though he didn't hear the full conversation, his feeling looked to be on the mark. It turned out the the red-head had powers too, and was trying to take away- _'Kitty?' _He thought that was her name.

He was definitely in time to see Red pry into Kitty's head, and he wasn't having any of it. _'No one's taking advantage of her like that! Except you, huh?' _

"Piece of advice, Red, I'm the only friend that girl's gonna need, and I'll be teaching her what's what, so you just better back yourself off!" He pushed her out of the way, and she gave a little moan.

_'Definitely miss popular.' _

He found Kitty at her locker, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She spun round with a start.

"Easy, I wont shake things up, I promise," he assured her, reaching down to pick up her dropped books. _'Another pun?' _"I'm, uh, my name's Lance. We should really talk."

"Why can't everyone just, like, leave me alone?" She slammed her locker shut, making Lance wince, and she turned to walk away. He seized the initiative.

"You feel sick inside every time you think about it, don't you? You want it to go away, but it wont. You're afraid of what might happen, you're parents are clueless, probably ashamed, being alone don't help." She rounded on him.

"What, are you like, reading my mind too?"

"No way! It's just that, I've been going through it myself. Y'know, trying to figure it out. But I've learned how to control it. Meet me outside the office in an hour. I'll show you how." He watched

her leave, torn between helping her and exploiting her.

An hour later, and he was even less sure. According to his watch, she was due any minute. _'But do I really want her to come? Sure I need the cash, but...' _He slumped down against the wall when he heard Kitty's voice call out, "Hey, are you, like, there?" She was clearly surprised to see him sat there with his face in his hands. He stood up.

"I- I can't do it..."

"Like, do what?"

_'Well now what Lance? Come clean and hope she doesn't hate you, or carry on with the plan?'_

One look into her eyes gave him his answer.

"I, uh, have a confession..." She looked confused, but she stayed quite.

"Uh, the reason I asked you here, I mean, uh..."

"Hey, like, spit it out!"

"I was, uh, going to get you to help me steal the test answers, but I can't do it. I just can't do it to you..." He slumped down again. She was livid.

"So, like, you didn't want to help me after all?"

"No, I did. But I wanted to make the most of it, but I can't..." Kitty rolled her eyes. He was getting a bit repetitive.

"I can't, like, believe you were even going to steal them in the first place!"

"It's not like I want to have to do this!" He raised his voice slightly, but immediately wished he hadn't, and it dropped again. "My foster parents can't stand me, so anything I need, I have to get myself. I've always had to make do with what I've got,and it ain't much." Now it was Kitty's turn to be confused. She wasn't sure whether to be angry with him or glad he told her. She didn't have long to mull it over.

"Hey, Lance, have you got those answers yet?" _'Great, just what I need. Pete and Griff.' _Then they saw Kitty. "So, you're plan didn't work then?" Pete asked with a sneer. He tried to grab Kitty. Lance was up in a flash.

"Back off, losers! Stay away from her!" Kitty was... surprised, to say the least.

"And what if we don't?" Now it was Lance's turn to sneer.

"You sure you wanna ride me like that?" He clenched his fist, and his eyes rolled back, the ground beneath Griff and Pete erupting under them. Needless to say, they didn't stick around for an encore.

"You okay?" he asked, surprising both of them with the tenderness in his voice.

"Um, like, sure."

"Well done Lance. You did the right thing today, and used your powers for good, and not gain."

Lance wheeled, to see an old man in a wheelchair, and, surprise, surprise, Red.

"My name is Charles Xavier. I have set up an institute for gifted youngster, such as yourselves, to help them understand and control their powers. You would both be welcome to attend." He extended a hand. "I believe you have already met Jean Grey, both of you." He added the last part with a raised eyebrow at Lance. _'Probably best not to start out with her hating me.'_

"Uh, yeah, sorry about before. I was just so excited about there being someone else like me, I wasn't thinking straight." She nodded an acceptance of the apology.

"_Well Lance, you are by no means alone. I myself am like you, a mutant, the next step in human evolution, as is Jean." _He looked up in surprise when he realized the voice was _inside _his head, and the old man hadn't moved his lips. "My mutant abilities give me powerful telepathic abilities, as do Jeans, with the added bonus of telekinesis." In demonstration, Jean lifted up a small rock, without touching it. "There are others like us at the institute. It has already been cleared with your parents, Kitty, and your foster parents, Lance."

"Bet they were happy to get rid of me."

"Yes, quite. However, the choice is still yours to make, I cannot force you." Lance considered saying no, until he thought of Kitty. There was something about her that brought up strange feelings that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Will Kitty be going?"_'Yeah, make it obvious Lance.'_

"Given recent events, it is a safe assumption." Lance couldn't be sure, but he could've sworn the old man was smiling.

"Then yes." Maybe a little too quick.

"You've made the right decision. I can sort things so that both of you are transferred to Bayville High"

"Isn't your institute a school?"

"Only to teach you to harness your mutant abilities. At Bayville, you will interact with your human peers and attend normal lessons. You are, after all, still teenagers." Somehow, he said it in a way that brooked no disagreement. "Now, gather your things. I would like to be back at institute tonight. The buildings here are not wheelchair friendly."

An hour or so later, Lance and Kitty were standing outside the unimaginatively named 'X-jet'.

_'And you thought your puns were bad?' _At present, Lance was a tad distracted by the amount of luggage Kitty was bringing. "How much?" He just stared in disbelief.

"Well, I, like, needed to make sure I have everything."

"So, which is the kitchen sink in?" She pushed him playfully. Lance hadn't heard Kitty's conversation with Jean, but he assumed that she'd explained everything to her. She seemed a little less confused at any rate. Her parents were there to see her off, but he noticed with no surprise whatsoever that his foster parents were nowhere to be seen.

"Is that, like, all your bringing?"

"Yeah, It's not like I have much to bring."

"No, like, keepsakes to remind you of your parents?" He winced.

"Sorry, is it, like, a sore subject?" _'Wow, and I thought I could be tactless.'_

"You, uh, could say that." _'Haven't we already had this conversation anyway?'_

Realization slowly dawned. "Oh! You, like, said yesterday. I forgot with, like, all the excitement."

_'Well, you could call it excitement, I suppose.'_

"Let's just, uh, pretend we never mentioned it."

"Okay." She seemed relieved. Lance reached down and picked up a couple of her bags, making sure to get the more awkward ones. "Thanks."He saw Jean looking at him strangely, and he smiled in a vaguely apologetic way. _'After all, she has every reason not to like you. You did threaten her when you first met. You've got off lightly.' _She returned the smile, but it never quite reached her eyes.

He had to admit, inside the aircraft, that the institute had a pretty cushy job going. That was one worry off his mind at any rate. _'Hopefully now I don't need to do the kind of stuff that made this mess in the first place.' _He snapped out of his reverie in time to hear the professor ask Jean to contact the institute to warn them of their return. Lance was confused when she just sat there, until he remembered she was telepathic. He shuddered. He didn't like the idea of having someone in his head.

Kitty had been talking non-stop to him since they'd got on the plane. _'Nerves, maybe?' _

"So, like, what do you think the other students will be like? Lance? Are you,like, even listening to me?"

"What? Uh, yeah. I'm sure they'll be great..."

_Well, that was chapter 1. Hoped you all liked it. Review and stuff, obviously. Chapter 2 coming soon – yes, there will be more puns. Cheerio._


	2. 2: Shades of Red

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_Kjel again! You know the drill from the first chapter (hopefully). Bonus points to anyone who can find all 3 puns in the chapter title!_

**Chapter 2- Shades of Red**

A shrouded man dropped out of the air vents, sniffing the air.

"Impressive. You got past the automated defenses by using the air vents." He whirled around, trying to place the source of the voice. "But you wont get past me!" The woman thrust out her hand, and the windows blew open, attempting to catch the cowled man as he climbed back into the vents.

"Testing me, hmm? Alright then. It's time you remembered why they call me Storm!" At her words, clouds gathered outside, a torrent of water falling into the vents, washing the man into a large room.

"You look a little flushed. And the forecast isn't good!" The man jumped at her, only to be caught by an icy blast, encasing him against the wall.

"Now that, was cold." He merely sounded annoyed as he broke free, shards cascading around him.

"Then let's warm you up." She pressed a button, and lasers emerged from the walls, proceeding to shoot the intruder, though he nimbly jumped over the beams, and, claws emerging from his knuckles, he sliced the laser in half. It exploded, and he was thrown back, but appeared otherwise unfazed.

"Gotta connect first. Got any other party tricks?" As if on cue, a large, spinning razor-edged spiral shot out of the ground, attempting to dice him. He drove his claws into it's side, and it ground to a halt.

"_Stop! It is, at the moment, as much as we can afford, Wolverine." _The mental shout echoed easily across the room from the observation deck, and Wolverine pulled off his hood, an arm falling off the machine as he passed.

"Hey, when I give a demo, I give a demo."

"Is that Demo as in demolish or demonstration? What was the point?" The speaker was Scott, a boy a year or so younger than Lance, one of the students who was already here when he and Kitty arrived the night before.

"The point, young cyclops, was to teach you something about finding the weak points in sophisticated security systems."Storm was quick to answer, sounding tolerant, but annoyed.

"That's right, bub, and I'd say ours needs a little work." Wolverine exited the lift into the observation deck, his clothes in tatters from his 'exercise'. Another boy, Kurt, gave gave approval as he passed.

"That was tight! I gave it two thumbs up!" Or down, as he was hanging from the ceiling. Wolverine ignored him, and Jean and Lance both rolled their eyes.

"The vents were pretty easily breached. Gonna need to fix that. Maybe electrify them, or install poison gas sprayers."

"Wolverine..." Storm's voice suggested she was quite used to having to keep Wolverine in check, though this did nothing to reduce Lance's shock, and he heard Kitty gasp next to him. _'Better stay on his good side. Who knows what he'd do otherwise?'_

"Alright, alright, knockout gas then." _'He sounds like a kid who's just been told he can't have a toy.'_

"Is it just me, or is anyone else seriously freaked about all this?" It was the first time Kitty had spoken since the demonstration began, and she shuddered while saying it. The others just stared at her.

"Oh, right, it's just me? Great."

"Don't worry, I'm a bit weirded out about this, but this is probably daily life for them. I guess we'll get used to it." He felt better himself for comforting her.

"Relax Kitty, you'll be fine. We're right beside you. Popcorn?" Kurt teleported next to her, making her jump, repeatedly, clearly not getting the picture, and Lance clenched his fists. _'Why are you so protective of her? She can take care of herself.' _

"Sorry, next time I'll honk before I port."

"Whatever, look guys, it's late, if it's no biggy to you, I'm gonna like, drop out." Literally, as she phased through the floor.

"Ah, she's fully not into the fuzzy dude. Not that I really blame her."

"Oh, she just needs time Kurt, she'll come around."

"X-men, we have an emergency. Scott, get the blackbird prepped for launch. Since it's a weekend, assemble the full team."

"Yes sir. What's the mission." _'Suck up.'_

"Cerebro has detected a new mutant near Couldercott county, Mississippi. My mental impressions seem to indicate a highly disturbed individual. She is a danger to herself, and possibly others as well. X-men, we have a Rogue."

"I'll go and get Kitty." Lance was happy to volunteer.

"No, Alvers. Get suited up. Kurt, you get her." He marveled at Scott's emotional ineptitude.

_'Did he miss that last conversation completely? Can't he tell Kurt's not the best person right now?'_

He shot Scott a dirty look, but other than that stayed quiet. However stupid and annoying Scott might be, Lance didn't want to cause conflict here, if only for Kitty's sake.

"Fine." He really wasn't looking forward to this.

"Stealth mode stable. Leveling off at 10000 feet." For someone flying a plane, Kurt seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much.

"Steady... Now hold it right there. And... you've got it! Nice job Kurt, you'll make a pilot yet."

"Heh, thanks!" Kurt leaned back and handed the controls to his feet.

"Or... maybe not..." Scott shook his head and shrugged. "I've logged our flight plan with the FAA.

We're clear through to Jackson. We'll take the van from there."

"Good. You're picking up logistics quickly Scott." Scott positively beamed at the praise. _'Definite suck up.' _

"Scott seems so, like, together, so cool and... he's kinda cute." Lance looked at her sideways, somehow conveying deep disbelief, which was promptly ignored by Kitty, as she was talking to Jean. Jean, however, did pick up on it. Lance must have been thinking very loudly.

"_I wouldn't worry. Scott's useless when it comes to relationships." _Lance blinked, still not liking the thought of having someone else in his head. And just what was she trying to imply? _'As if you don't know full well?' _She then answered Kitty out loud.

"Cute? Stiff, maybe. Exacting definitely, but, hmm, you know, from a certain angle..." This time both Lance _and _Kurt gave the girls an odd look. _'Was she just trying to steer Kitty away from him? One day I'll understand girls...' _Lance's thoughts were cut off by a loud 'bamf' from the front of the jet. He looked up to see Kurt standing _outside _the window, on the nose of the plane! Both Lance and Scott stood up simultaneously, which caused another glaring contest, both of them completely forgetting Kurt for a few moments, until he lost his balance, fell, teleported, and collided with Kitty.

"Kurt!" Yelled Scott.

"Kitty!" Yelled Lance simultaneously.

"Kurt! The Blackbird is not the place to be fooling around! You'll frighten Kitty!" Even the professor was annoyed, a state Lance hadn't previously seen him in. It did have one bonus though. It stopped Lance from having an argument with Scott. _ 'He'd rather scold someone before checking if someone's okay? What a jerk!'_

"_Kurt might not've been okay too, Lance." _Jean was getting quite frequent with her little comments.

"_Sorry, I'll stay quite shall I?" _Lance shot her a glance, but she was smiling at him.

"_I guess it's not just Scott who needs to learn to take a joke, eh?"_

"_Well, sounds like your learning quickly." _The conversation lasted only a few seconds, and Kurt was already back on his feet.

"Sorry Kitty..."

"Just, like, stay away from me!" Kitty unbuckled herself and moved to the front of the plane.

"Kids..."

"This really necessary?" Logan sounded gruff, but then, when didn't he? Besides Lance wasn't the happiest bunny either. _'Stuck in a car with Speccy. Just what I need. …Good job Jean wasn't here to hear that.'_

"Yes, Logan. The boy, Cody, is the key to finding our Rogue. But he's unconscious and his mind is elusive. To isolate his memory patterns I need someone... on the inside." Scott just sat there nodding at the professor's words. _'Can't he think for himself?' _Lance had a flash of De ja vu. _'And what happens when he starts?'_

"I think I've located her. However, her whereabouts are... vague at best. You will need to search around to find her. Wolverine, take Kurt, and Kitty. Jean, Scott and Lance. We can cover more ground if we split up."

_'Great. Just great.'_

"So then, just what do expect to do _if _ we find her?" Scott just stopped and glared at him. They'd only been searching for five minutes, and tensions were already building. Jean was just about the only thing stopping a full-on fight. "I mean, if she's as confused as the Professor says, then it's not as if she's just gong to go 'Oh, okay, I'll come with you!'"

"Look, _Alvers_, I'm in charge here! You might be used to doing whatever you feel like, but things happen a little differently around here!"

"Look, _Summers_, at least I care about _people_, and not just getting praise and being in charge! That ego of your could really do with deflating!" By now both boys were squaring up to each other, and Jean had to physically separate them.

"That's enough! What's gotten into you two? Scott, you should know better! You're _supposed _to be our field leader! And Lance! I know you've had a hard time up until now, and things are new to you, but you can at least try to make an effort!" Both boys scowled and turned away.

"_Although I know you are." _Five simple words, but Lance suddenly felt much better. Still, he kept his face in a scowl. _'No sense making Summers even angrier.' _Jean suddenly stopped.

"The professor just contacted me. Kurt's been hurt!"

"What about Kitty and Logan?"

"I haven't heard anything about them, so I assume they're okay." Lance let out a sigh of relief. Scott opened his mouth to make a comment, but Jean glared him silent. "Shouldn't we be going?"

They reached the professor on the way. "It seems our Rogue managed to absorb parts of Kurt's powers and memories. However, the effects appear to be temporary, and he should be fine soon. In the meantime, however, we need to contain the girl, before she causes more harm to herself, and others. Storm, go with them. I shall attend to Kurt." Jean closed her eyes as the professor wheeled away.

"I can still sense her. She's to the east of here." She glanced at the boys. Storm seemed to sense something had happened as well, but chose to remain silent on the subject.

Jean tracked the Rogue down to an old cemetery. "Eerie place, huh?" Scott ignored him.

"It might be best if I talk to her alone first," said Jean, "Large groups of strangers wont do anything to help her. It'll be easiest for me to connect with her."

"Fine," was all that Scott said.

"We'll be close if you need us." _'What a surprise. Another dirty look.'_

It took, oh, all of a minute before Scott was pacing, restless. _'Worried about Jean, or just trigger happy?' _

"Let's go." It was all Scott said.

"Doesn't that defeat the object of Jean going alone?"

"I'm in charge here!"

"As you're so keen to remind me."

"Boys! That's enough! Focus on the mission, and save your squabbling for later!" Storm ended the argument as decisively as Jean.

They arrived as Jean levitated a communicator into Rogue's hand.

"Latest fashion accessory huh?"

"We all have one." Rogue looked at Storm, and pure fear crossed her face.

"You... You... No! You wont take me!" She bolted. Scott ran after her.

"No! Wait!" Scott lunged at her, missed, and landed face first in the mud.

"I don't get it. We were connecting, and then..."

"She saw me. For some reason she was afraid of me." Lance offered a hand to Scott, but he slapped it away.

"Well, she looked pretty beat. She can't have gone far."

"I can't see a way out that way, so we might have her cornered."

"I didn't ask you for input, _Alvers_."

"Scott! Don't be so rude! He's just trying to help." Jean, always on hand to sort things out.

"Lance, would you and Storm make sure she doesn't get away? There's no point us all going in, and she still seems to be terrified of Storm..."

Lance had gone about 20 paces when he saw one of Scott's optic blasts hit a power line. Without even thinking about it, Lance ran straight there. Scott was lying in the mud again, and Lance had to repress a snigger. Rogue ran back inside the crypt, and Lance heard the tell-tale 'bamf' of a teleportation. He looked around, and saw Rogue appear in the sky above them. _'Brilliant. If this all ends in a mutant pancake...' _ Thankfully, she teleported again in mid-air, and landed unhurt on the ground. Lance just ignored Scott this time, and headed straight for where Rogue had landed, assuming Scott would probably follow. _'Then again...'_

Lance lost them after a few turns, but soon found them again from a blinding flash of light. Scott ran up beside him. "Hey, what's with the effects? Oh no, NO!" Rogue had absorbed Storm's powers, and was rising into the air, which was turning into a tempest instantaneously. Jean instinctively threw up a telekinetic barrier.

"I can hold it off a little..."

"Give it up, she's got Storm's powers but not her control!" The storm grew exponentially, devastating the cemetery around them. Lightning struck an overhead pylon, and it began to totter dangerously, over a large puddle where Storm lay unconscious.

"The power lines! If they hit that water Storm'll be fried!" Scott proceeded to pick up Storm, while Lance sent tremors through the earth in an attempt to steady the lines,or at least delay their fall. When Storm was safely in Scott's arms, Jean lifted all four of them up telekinetically, which nearly made Lance throw up, as he'd been using his powers. They floated there for about a minute, when Rogue cried out suddenly. Without warning, she teleported, and the storm abated, the only trace of it's existence the damage it had wrought. Jean set them all safely on the ground.

At that moment, the Professor, Kitty, and Wolverine carrying Kurt came running, and rolling, up to them.

"What do you think happened to the Rogue?"

"She's gone, somewhere. Her mind is a jumble, I can't trace it. But I strongly suspect the hand of another at work here." He frowned, and Wolverine sniffed the air.

"Mystique. She can change her body but not her scent."

"Then we have to go after her!" It was Kitty who spoke up. Lance hoped she was okay, but would probably have to wait to ask her.

"There's been enough damage done today. The girl must come of her own free will, or not at all. And we must first tend to our own." As if on cue, Storm and Kurt stirred.

"Ugh, looks like I missed quite a party..."

"Kurt! You're alright!" Kurt sagged again, but Kitty caught him. "Easy you fuzzy elf! Everything is going to be just fine." Kurt just looked bemused, and Lance just mouthed in disbelief. _'Fuzzy elf? What the hell happened to her out there?' _He shook his head.

"Can you walk Kurt? If not, I can carry you back to the jet." Lance's voiced was tinged with genuine concern, and Kitty smiled at him, making all his skirmishes with Scott seem like a distant memory, until another one blew in.

"He's perfectly capable of walking Alvers!" Lance glanced at Kitty, refusing to be baited again.

"I was just making sure he's okay." He kept his voice level, but he clenched a fist reflexively behind his back. He didn't want a fight, but he'd sure as hell give one if it came to it.

"Scott! That's enough!" This time it was Professor X himself who stepped... wheeled in. "Lance is right. We should indeed head back. And then I want to talk to some of you."

The 'threat' hung over several of them on the return flight, namely Lance and Scott. However, it seemed to Lance that something seemed to be troubling Kitty. He considered asking, but thought better of it, and just squeezed her hand reassuringly. _'Of course. She was with Kurt when Rogue touched him. She probably feels responsible in some way. Hell Lance, you can be so slow sometimes.' _She smiled up at him, making his worries seem far away again.

Back at the mansion, it was actually Jean who had the first turn for a little 'talk' with the professor. Then it was Scott. Lance hovered nearby, not doubting for a moment that his time wouldn't be long in the coming. He wasn't wrong. Scott stormed out a few minutes later, not even bothering to look at him.

"_Come in Lance." _Somehow, it was creepier than when Jean did it. He went inside.

"Lance, I need to talk to you about your... incident today with Scott. Jean has already informed me as to the events that transpired, as has Scott." He seemed ever so slightly amused. "However,I'd like to hear _your _side of the story." _'Now that's a novelty.'_

"Uh, well, there's not really much to tell-"

"And it isn't wise keeping secrets from telepaths."

10 minutes later, and the professor steepled his fingers. "I see." He stopped, and Lance assumed he was contacting someone telepathically. "I want you to attend an extra training session with Wolverine three mornings a week. Officially, this is a punishment. However, I shall tell you more when Kitty isn't listening in on our conversation." Lance heard a yelp outside, and couldn't repress a smile. _"The training is to prepare you for potential field-leadership duties." _Lance gasped. _"This does not me you are to replace Scott, but there are tactical advantages to having someone who can step in in case of injuries or the team being divided." _Lance took the news quite calmly, even if it did mean having to get up early. Lance was, and always will be, a heavy sleeper. Lance rose, and he bumped into Jean in the doorway.

"Sorry, my bad."

"Ah, Jean. Did you find Scott?"

"No. His room's locked, but I can't sense him in there, or anywhere else for that matter."

"I see. Lance, would you help Jean find Scott? In the meantime, it might be beneficial for a brief conversation about what happened to Kurt, Kitty." Lance heard another yelp. He was glad he wasn't the only person who kept thinking loudly.

"Jean, try his room again." Jean looked at him strangely.

"But it's locked." _'Brilliant Sherlock.'_

"So you'd think he'd be in there, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, but Lance, I can't sense him."

"Think he'd mind if we let ourselves in then?"

"Do I even want to know how?" Lance answered by sending a very gentle tremor through Scott's door. They heard a click. "And I don't want to know where you learned that either."

"Probably best for the both of us." Lance went in. Like Jean said, there was no one in there.

"See if there's anything out of place. You know him better than me." Jean rummaged for a few minutes, with a pained expression on her face, before straightening up.

"Most of his clothes are gone, along with his sunglasses and the visor off his costume. The rest of the costume is still here though. And... he's taken a picture of the two of us from before you, Kurt and Kitty joined the institute..."

"Sounds like he's jumped ship to me. Sorry to put it so bluntly,but I'm pretty sure he has. The window's wide open as well. All we need is a rope made from bedsheets to round it off." His voice was harsher than he intended, so he began again to apologize, but he realized she was contacting the professor mentally. She paused.

"The professor can't find him either. I just hope you're wrong."

_Dun Dun Dun! Told you something had to give. Stay tuned for the next episode of __Y-women : Throwbacks. __Shake it up!_


End file.
